Best Viking Games for PS5 & PS4

Why it's here: My top pick, and the one viking game on PS5 I would clear completely. Kratos and Atreus cross all Nine Realms toward a prophesied Ragnarok, and the optional realms, favors and collectible sets are tracked side systems that hand back gear and story rather than filler. The recurring complaint in Steam reviews is pacing: long cutscenes and forced walking stretches make a big game feel bloated. Rated M, on PS Plus Extra, 4.78 from about 196,000 players, the highest-rated pick on this list. Start with the 2018 game, then give this one the full clear.

Why it's here: The most-rated game on this list, and the right place to start the Norse saga. Kratos, now a father in the Norse wilds, fights with a Leviathan Axe that flies back to his hand, and the whole story plays out in a single unbroken camera shot. Players on Steam consistently praise the father and son writing; the steady knock there is repetitive enemy variety and a linear path with little to find off it. Rated M, on PS Plus Extra, 4.75 from about 301,000 players. If you only play one game here, play this one, then Ragnarok.

Why it's here: The biggest viking sandbox on PlayStation, and the one where I would ignore the checklist. You play Eivor, raiding Saxon monasteries, growing a settlement and choosing sides in Dark Ages England. Steam reviews are sharply divided: the world and the raids earn real praise, but the recurring complaint is bloat, a long main story stretched further by grindy, repetitive activities. Rated M, on PS Plus Extra, 4.08 from about 83,000 players. Take the story and the raids, skip the map icons, and this is the purest viking fantasy on the list.

Why it's here: The list's most intense seven hours, and a game I would recommend over almost any action title here. Senua, a Pict warrior, walks into Viking Helheim to bargain for her dead lover's soul, with the voices in her head recorded in binaural audio so they circle your skull through headphones. The persistent caveat in Steam reviews is that the mechanics are slight: simple combat and rune puzzles that repeat. Rated M, 4.68 from about 25,000 players, one of the three highest ratings on this list. Play it with headphones and treat it as a story first.

Why it's here: The best-looking game on this list, on PS5 more than a year after its Xbox and PC release. Senua sails to Viking Iceland on a brutal journey of survival, and every frame is built for the PS5 Pro. The Steam reviews split hard: the visuals and sound get near-unanimous praise, while the recurring complaint is that the combat is even simpler than the first game and the story lands softer. Rated M, 4.55 from about 1,500 players on the PlayStation Store. Play the original first; this is the sequel for people who wanted more of the spectacle, not more game.

Why it's here: The only game here where the vikings are one faction of five, and the pick for anyone who wants to fight other people rather than bosses. Its Art of Battle system turns every duel into a stance-based read of your opponent, and eight-player modes keep it busy years on. My caveat is a big one: Steam reviews currently run negative, driven by balance complaints, matchmaking and a review bombing over dropped Linux support. The Linux part is irrelevant on PlayStation; the balance complaints are not. Rated M, on PS Plus Extra, 4.03 from about 81,000 players. Try it through PS Plus before buying, and only if you want a competitive game.

Why it's here: The newest game on this list and the one for short, dense sessions: a horde survivor in the Vampire Survivors mould dressed in Norse myth, where you earn blessings from the gods mid-run and fight a boss at the end of each. Reviews on Steam are polarized, with the recurring complaint being bugs and shallow progression once the first few hours of unlocks are done, which is exactly the padding versus content line I watch for. Rated T, 4.22 from about 330 players. Buy it for a week of runs, not a month.

Why it's here: The viking game to play with a group, and a hard pass alone. Up to ten players defend a village against nightly hordes and giants while racing to stop Ragnarok across procedurally generated worlds, in either Survival or Saga mode. The Steam reviews say the same thing from both sides: fun with friends, and the recurring complaint is clunky controls, bugs and a solo experience that never holds up. Rated T, 3.81 from about 4,000 players, one of the lower ratings here. Bring at least two friends or skip it.

Why it's here: A Diablo-style viking action RPG with a real hook: you survive the creeping cold as much as the enemies, and the blood you earn in battle is offered to the gods for spell powers. Choose warrior or shieldmaiden, then take a second player along in split-screen or online. The trouble, per Steam reviews, is the fundamentals: dodge timing and hit detection draw the most complaints, followed by difficulty spikes. Rated M, on PS Plus Extra, 3.82 from about 2,400 players. Worth a PS Plus download for a co-op weekend, not full price.

Why it's here: The best story on this list that is not God of War, told in a hand-drawn art style. You lead a caravan of humans and horned Varl across a frozen world where the sun has stopped, and the choices you make in dialogue cost you real people. The recurring complaint in Steam reviews is the combat: slow, unforgiving turn-based fights with difficulty spikes. 4.09 from about 750 players on the PlayStation Store. Start here; the two sequels are on PS4 as well, and this is the part where the choices bite hardest.

Why it's here: The tidiest viking game on PlayStation and my pick for a spare twenty minutes: you defend tiny procedurally generated islands against longship landings by commanding a handful of squads with a few taps, and one lost island kills a commander for good. Steam reviews praise how much tactics hide under that simplicity; the recurring complaint is that runs get repetitive once you have seen every unit type. Rated T, on PS Plus Extra, 4.50 from about 2,500 players. Play it through PS Plus and stop when the islands start to blur.

Why it's here: The settlement builder on this list, and the strategy game I would hand to someone who has never played one. Your clan lands on a new continent, claims it tile by tile, and has to survive each winter while choosing a route to victory through conquest, trade, fame or the gods. Steam reviews call it beginner-friendly and rich in clans; the recurring complaint is slow pacing and unresponsive units. Rated E10+, 3.98 from about 620 players. Pick it for the long game, with online co-op for up to six.

Why it's here: The one real-time strategy game here that plays like a raid: you command Viking squads in large-scale battles with a cinematic camera that drops you into the melee, with separate story arcs for the Anglo-Saxons, Germans and Slavs. Steam reviews rate the tactical combat and the historical storytelling; the recurring complaint is repetitive missions and factions that play too alike. Rated M, 4.34 from about 1,200 players. For a real Viking army rather than a single hero, this is the pick.

Why it's here: The couch pick: a three-player brawler in the Castle Crashers mould where you fight Loki's forces on a lane-based field to reopen the gates of Valhalla, local or online. Hand-drawn art and each character's own signature weapon carry it; the recurring complaint in Steam reviews is enemy variety, with the same foes recycled and solo play feeling like a chore. Rated E10+, 4.33 from about 320 players. For a mixed-age room with three controllers, start here.

Why it's here: The nostalgia pick, and the hardest game on this list by a distance. It is a 2D action platformer in the old arcade tradition, where one mistake kills and the whole level asks you to learn it. The sequel adds checkpoints and, more contentiously, an Undead Mode that kicks in after too many lost continues, which is the recurring complaint in Steam reviews from players who wanted the pure run. Rated T, 4.17 from just 36 PlayStation Store ratings, the smallest sample here. If you grew up on arcade difficulty, it is worth the price; otherwise start elsewhere.